The present disclosure relates generally to tampon pad printing systems, and more particularly to pad printing systems configured to print a work piece having at least a first print area and a second print area distal from the first print area in one or more colors.
Pad printing systems have proven very useful for printing textured or non-planar objects. The basic elements of a pad printing system may include a printing plate or cliché, a silicon rubber pad or ink tampon, inks, an ink cup, a cleaning mechanism, and a machine.
The basic process for pad printing may be described as follows: First, the ink cup is positioned above the printing plate, and an etched image on the printing plate is flooded with ink by the ink cup. The printing plate is then cleaned or wiped by a cleaning mechanism. The ink cup and printing plate then slide laterally apart, leaving only the image area of the printing plate exposed. A pad is then positioned directly over the printing plate, pressed onto it to pick up the applied ink, and lifted away. The pad is then pressed down onto a surface to be printed, conforming to its shape and depositing the ink in the desired location. The pad is then lifted away from the newly printed surface.
Examples of pad printing systems are discussed in more detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,352,528, 4,019,436, 4,557,195, 4,615,266, 4,683,821, 4,905,594, 5,003,872, 5,052,293, 5,272,973, 5,320,037, 5,383,398, 5,476,040, 5,537,921, 5,662,041, 5,664,496, 5,694,847, 5,802,972, 5,921,177, 6,244,172, 6,393,981, 6,516,716, 6,923,115, 7,063,012, 7,089,860, WO9921718, EP659556, and JP2004362540. The disclosures of all of the patents, patent applications, and publications recited herein are incorporated herein by reference.
The advantages of the present disclosure will be understood more readily after a consideration of the drawings and the Detailed Description.